Sneaker -

The original Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell®, much like Grand Theft Auto 3, is generally credited with creating a genre. There have been many games since Splinter Cell that have used 'sneaker' elements, including Hitman and True Crime, and while there actually were other games before Cell that had stealth gameplay, the game's tag line, Stealth Combat Redefined, is accurate. The franchise has become so successful that if you talk about stealth games, Splinter Cell is always the first game to come to mind.

Sam Fisher escapes the eye in the sky.

Third Person Stealth?
Two basic gaming terms are used to refer to Splinter Cell and sneaker games: They are third person action, and stealth. What exactly do those terms mean?

• Third Person Action: At its most basic, third person action refers to the view of the game character. Your perspective may be over the shoulder, overhead, or adjustable, but the game is not first person, which is the primary distinction. Third person action is too general a term to define a genre, but games like Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time™ or Lara Croft Tomb Raider™ LEGEND are good examples.
• Stealth: Many gamers were initially thrown off by the decidedly non-aggressive play of the Splinter Cell series. You want to be invisible. Every situation must be approached subtly. Enemies are to be avoided, not confronted, distracted, not attacked, and if you do have to take an enemy out, you better hide the body.

Slow and steady wins the day. One false move and the alert is on.

Level Design
The Splinter Cell series has always utilized a globe-trotting mindset, and while the locations may be varied and exotic, the basic tenets of its design remain the same.

• Point A to B: Splinter Cell games offer a checkpoint system, allowing you to restart from a location in the level if you die, not from the beginning. The level design is also blessedly linear, which can be a great help to novices. You won't have to backtrack to find your way.
• Go Vertical: While the levels may be linear in the forward-moving sense, they aren't always linear in the horizontal sense. Often the way forward will actually be above you or below you.
• Dead Ends: Though the levels are certainly not easy, it is important to remember that they aren't supposed to be impossible. If you hit a wall, it's likely a sign that you're on the wrong track.
• Be Invisible: The most obvious path in Splinter Cell levels is often the most difficult. Keeping your role as a stealth agent in mind, the quickest route is usually not the right one, and the safest route between two points is never a straight line. The shadows are your friends, so use them to your advantage.

Picturesque it may be, but there is danger everywhere.

The Basics
The Splinter Cell games are highly sophisticated, featuring complex level design, realistic enemy A.I., cool movies, and nifty gadgets. As you sneak through the game, keep the following tips in mind.

• Creeping Along: Getting a feel for the sensitivity of the thumbsticks is imperative in Splinter Cell. Pushing the stick gently will make you to creep. If you push the stick all the way in a direction, you will run, and you will make noise.
• Sound as Enemy and Ally: Most of the time you have to not only be invisible, but silent. However, sound can also work for you on occasion. Ambient noise or enemy sounds can also cover your own movements and allow you to progress unheard.
• Constant Night Vision: The Splinter Cell games are remarkably dark (though the new Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell® Double Agent™ does, for the first time, offer several daylight missions), but luckily you have night vision. Use it constantly. The game may look prettier without the night vision filter on, but you'll need the tactical advantage.
• ABC—Always Be Crouching: Unless you're running from gunfire or a grenade, you should always be crouching when you move. You make less noise, you're harder to spot, and you can more easily duck into crawl spaces.
• Cover and Shadows: You should never stay in one place unless you're deep in shadows or behind cover. When you move, know where you're going, and what cover is available.
• Alarms and Cameras: It's not just guards and soldiers that can spot you, so watch for alarm sensors and cameras as well. Switch on your thermal vision (press right on the d-pad) to spot electronic surveillance. If you see any, disrupt them, disable them, or find a way around.

Interrogations can provide crucial details.

• The Camera: Take advantage of the third person camera by swinging it around you, by using the right stick, and getting a sneak peek of what's ahead without putting yourself in danger.
• Take the Default: In the beginning of each mission, you can customize the equipment you take with you. Don't do it. The default equipment has been chosen to best fit the current mission, and changing it will only make things harder on yourself.
• Dialogue: Overheard dialogue between enemies can offer vital intelligence. You will often pick up info on alternate routes and target locations simply by listening to casual conversation.
• Patience: If anything will win the day for you in Splinter Cell or any other sneaker game, it is patience. Doing anything without waiting and watching is always the quickest way to getting discovered and killed.

Starting out a game like Splinter Cell with a grasp of the basics will shorten your learning curve, and allow you to have a lot more fun. Good luck, and stay in the shadows.